New World Dives Into Its Zone Creation Process
Explore the philosophy, elements, and stories behind zone creation.
In New World’s 14th episode of Forged in Aeternum, Host Mike Willette (World Experience Lead) is joined by Charles Bradbury (Art Director) and Rosie Strzalkowski (Environment Art Lead) to chat about the process of creating narrative-driven, immersive zones for players to explore.
When asked what themes the game artists wanted to explore, the main focus was on integrating multiple cultures while incorporating new ideas and themes. Another important factor is the game's cinematic moments. “At the early stage, we’re not focusing too much on specific designs, but trying to establish the overall tone of the scenery and using our tools to achieve those results,” Senior Concept Artist Stuart Kim explained.
“We’re also attempting to add in a sense of intrigue through directed compositions that may depict figures or the state of an object or place. For instance, you might see a settlement after it was destroyed or perhaps overgrown through abandonment and the passing of time.” These visual cues allow players to question the world and narratively piece things together. This unique version of storytelling, where the game shows a player something rather than specifically telling them, allows the player to be immersed and develop their own ideas and themes and allows the player, in a way, to be a part of the process of creating as well.
To those interested, you can check out the full blog post on New World’s site, or check out the 14th episode below!
Related Articles
- Test Out New World: Aeternum's New Coral Divide Outpost Rush Map This Weeendk And Earn Rewards
- Protect Eggs In The Return Of New World: Aeternum's Siege Of Sulfur Event, Complete With High-Level Gear Rewards
- New World: Aeternum Will Be Hosting Double XP Weeks Starting This Coming Tuesday, But Each Week Is For Specific XP
About the Author

Aspen is an avid gamer and Twitch streamer currently residing in Japan. She is most attracted to games narrative design and is a huge fan of player choice in games. If Aspen is not playing games, she is most certainly writing about them.
More Stories by Aspen PashRead Next

Players will compete for a share of the $420,000 prize pool.
You May Enjoy

Things may look medieval, but sometimes things aren't how they appear.

If you ever wanted to live the plot of Snowpiercer, it looks like this is your chance.

Hey, at least the Fae Yule event isn't the first thing on the site's banner anymore.

There's even a 1 month discount on FFXI for FFXIV players.
Discussion (0)